Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1910 March 12 | Born Roger Lacey Stevens in Detroit, Michigan, to Stanley Garfield Stevens (1875-1966) and Florence Olive Jackson (1875-1957) |
| 1912 April 24 | Birth of brother Harlow Drake Stevens |
| 1915 June 4 | Birth and death of sister Frances Grinnell Stevens |
| 1925-1928 | Attended the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut |
| 1928-1929 | Attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| 1930-1934 | Worked as a gas station attendant for Socony and Shell Oil stations, on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company, and at various other odd jobs |
| 1934 November-1937 January | Salesman in Hamman Real Estate Exchange in Detroit |
| 1937-1943 | Financier and real estate developer in Detroit |
| 1938 January | Married Christine Gesell (1918-2002) in New York City |
| 1938 November 5 | Birth of daughter Christabel Lacey Stevens (Gough) |
| 1944-1946 | Served in the United States Navy, attaining the rank of lieutenant |
| 1946-1952 | Inactive member, the United States Naval Reserve |
| 1949 | Brought Shakespeare's Twelfth Night from Ann Arbor to the Empire Theatre in New York City, his first theatrical venture on Broadway Invested in Alfred De Liagre's Madwoman of Chaillot, awarded the Drama Critics Award for best foreign play |
| 1950-1990 | Part owner of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Belleair, Florida |
| 1951 | Founded Rostev Realty Corporation; named changed to Stevens Development Corporation in 1961 |
| 1951-1954 | Owned the Empire State Building in New York City with partners Henry Crown, Alfred R. Glancy Jr., Arnold Grant, and Ben Tobin |
| 1951-1960 | Partner in Playwrights' Company which produced seven plays including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sabrina Fair, Tea and Sympathy, and Time Remembered |
| 1951-1988 | Director, American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA); served in various capacities including director, treasurer, and executive committee chair |
| 1951-1998 | Treasurer, Animal Welfare Institute, founded by Christine G. Stevens in 1951 |
| 1953 July 18 | Founded University Properties, Inc. in Seattle, Washington, with H. Adams Ashforth, Alfred R. Glancy Jr., and Ben Tobin; named changed to UNICO Properties, Inc. in 1975 |
| 1953-1959 | Partnered with Robert Whitehead and Robert Dowling in the Producers' Theatre which produced 16 plays including The Cold Wind and the Warm, Goldilocks, Orpheus Descending, Separate Tables, and A Touch of the Poet |
| 1954 | Chairman, Finance Committee of National Volunteers for Adlai E. Stevenson |
| 1955 March | Premiered Bus Stop at the Music Box Theatre in New York City with Robert Whitehead |
| 1955 | Purchased the Terminal Tower in Cleveland; residential properties in California; and, in partnership with William Zeckendorf, the Gotham (New York City), Beverly Wilshire (Beverly Hills, California), and National Cuba Club (Havana) hotels |
| 1956 | Chairman, Finance Committee, Democratic National Committee Organized "Dollars for Democrats Day" in New York City |
| 1956-1998 | Member, Century Association, New York City |
| 1957 | Backed West Side Story which opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City |
| 1958-1961 | Founded and operated Stevens Church Street Corporation, Stevens New Haven Associates, and Stevens New Haven Development Co., Inc. to build and lease the Chapel Square Mall in New Haven, Connecticut |
| 1959 | Founded River Roads Properties, Inc. to oversee construction and leasing of River Roads Shopping Mall in Jennings, Missouri |
| 1960-1966 | Founded and operated Midwest Holdings Corporation; later merged into R. R. Leaseholds, Inc. |
| 1960-1986 | Received honorary degrees from: American University, Amherst College, Boston University, Florida State University, Miami University (Ohio), Philadelphia College of the Arts, Skidmore College, Tulane University, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Washington College (Maryland), and Wayne State University |
| 1961 September 2-1988 February | Chairman, board of the National Cultural Center, appointed by President John F. Kennedy; center renamed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1964 |
| 1961 October 4 | Opened The Caretaker at the Lyceum Theatre, New York City |
| 1961-1966 | Operated Stevens Productions, Inc. |
| 1962 April 29 | Won Tony Award for Best Play for A Man for All Seasons |
| 1964-1993 | Member, Dragon's Camp, Bohemian Grove, California |
| 1964 May 13-1969 | Named Special Assistant to the President for the Arts by Lyndon B. Johnson, which made Stevens the first full-time arts consultant in United States history |
| 1965-1969 | Chairman, National Council on the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts |
| 1965-1972 | Founded and operated Rolace, Inc. to manage the administrative needs of various theatrical, real estate, and other business endeavors |
| 1970 | Suffered first heart attack |
| 1971 March 28 | Awarded Special Tony Award, "in recognition of his dedication to the theatre" |
| 1971 September 8-9 | Formal dedication of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; first Opera House performance, Leonard Bernstein's Mass |
| 1971 December-1996 | Chairman, Board of Trustees of the National Book Committee, Inc.; continued involvement with the board in various capacities |
| 1973-1980 | Decorated by Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden for service to the arts |
| 1977 | Co-produced Annie at the Alvin Theatre, New York City |
| 1979 Fall | Suffered second heart attack |
| 1981 Spring | Underwent triple bypass heart surgery |
| 1981-1997 | Member, President's Task Force on Arts and the Humanities |
| 1983 April 22 | Stevens Center at the North Carolina School of the Arts opened |
| 1983 April 23 | Given the National Artist Award by ANTA |
| 1983 June 5 | Won the Tony Award for Best Revival for On Your Toes |
| 1984 May 16 | Received the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters award for Distinguished Service to the Arts |
| 1984 June 3 | Received the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Circle Critics awards for Best Revival of a Play for Death of a Salesman |
| 1984 | Received the Harold Clurman Theater Achievement Award |
| 1985 March 26 | Death of brother Stanley L'Arminie "Larry" Stevens (born 1903) |
| 1986 | Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame |
| 1988 January 13 | Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan |
| 1988 August 9 | Awarded the National Medal of Arts by the National Endowment for the Arts |
| 1988 December | Awarded Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement in the arts |
| 1989-1995 | Member, the Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C. |
| 1990 April 22 | Investiture in College of Fellows of the American Theater |
| 1993 | Opened She Loves Me, which won the Outer Circle Critics Award for Best Revival of a Musical the following year Suffered multiple strokes which left his right side paralyzed |
| 1994 | Co-produced Broken Glass at the Booth Theatre, his last Broadway show |
| 1997 | Death of brother Harlow Drake Stevens |
| 1998 February 2 | Died at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. |